self-contained.

1. Containing what is needed to function or make sense without depending on something outside it.

2. Keeping thoughts and emotions controlled and largely to yourself.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• a self-contained unit
• a self-contained story

On the page

Each self-contained cabin had a kitchen and a small water tank.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Comparative more self-contained; superlative most self-contained when comparison is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description, character. Commonness: moderately common.